Help for English Students

Postmodernism for HSC Students

One of the questions I am asked frequently by Extension English students (both Year 11 and Year 12) is, “what’s the deal with postmodernism?”

I think one of the reasons that students struggle with this concept is because they’ve lived their entire lives in a world shaped by postmodernity, so it’s difficult to step back and see the idea as a whole.

Here are some of the key concepts:

Questioning and Uncertainty

Postmodernism, like other movements or discourses, is a reaction against earlier ways of seeing of the world. Postmodernism questions the seeming certainty of more traditional views such as institutional religions, conservative politics, and even the scientific method. Where another worldview may see clear black and white, postmodernism sees only greys.

Signifier and Signified

Postmodernism also questions the ability of language to accurately convey meaning, because a word for an object or idea can never be the object or idea itself.

This image, by postmodern artist, Magritte, reinforces this idea. The image of the pipe is captioned, “this is not a pipe,” meaning that an image of a pipe (a signifier, which we interpret as readers) is not actually a pipe (the signified). An acknowledgement of this idea leads to reader response and hypertextual theories of literature.

Play

Postmodernism can seem to some students not only confusing but also overly cynical. What seems to be missing is the element of fun. Postmodern texts often hae fund with ideas and language, through the Ps of postmodernism: Parody, Pastiche, and Play. Parody and pastiche both involve the appropriation of earlier texts or concepts. While both are often humourous, parody is often employed for satirical purposes, while pastiche often refers to the collaging of different textual forms together.

This is a very basic introduction to the ideas of postmodernism. If you want more information, I suggest